Nature of the Upanisadic Compositions

1
Nature of the Upani?adic Compositions
2
Dialogues

• The principal texts within the Upani?ads are
  dialogues between teachers and their disciples
• The subject the Real
• What is said about the Real, the Absolute is
  neither systematic nor consistent

3
Later Approaches

• Commentators sought to interpret the texts as
  consistent works.
• The opinions on the subjects fall under the
  following categories.

4
Nature of Reality Non-dualism

• The most popular approach is a non-dual emphasis
• The Absolute is the transcendent Reality
• (B?U 3.8)
• The Cosmic Principle, the immanent Spirit, is
  mentioned in ChU 3.14
• In other passages, both aspects of Reality are
  mentioned together (Mu 1.1.6)
• On non-dualism (B?U 2.4.14 4.5.7 ChU 6.2.1
  8.7 Mu 3.2.9)

5
Dualism

• There is a distinction between God, soul, and
  matter
• Examples in B?U 4.3.7 ChU 8.12 Mu 3.1.1. Pra.
  4.9 ??v 1.9

6
Qualified Dualism

• Some passages do not declare complete dualism,
  nor do they speak of one Reality
• Their position is midway between dualism and
  non-dualism (ChU 6.2.3 3.2 TU 3.1.1 Ka 3.1)

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Meditation vs. Ritualism

• In the ?v 1.10-11,14, Mu?? 3.1.8 Pr 5.1,3-5 the
  process of meditation was taught in place of the
  ritual act
• The Mu?? 1.2.7 considered ritual as useless for
  those who are seekers of truth, while
• ?v 2.6.7 reconciled ritual to other schools of
  thought.

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The Cosmos

• The ultimate cause was Brahman
• In some passages, it does not undergo any change,
  though it may appear to have changed into the
  universe (ChU 6.1.4-6)
• Other passages suggest that Brahman desired to be
  many, so created fire, water, and earth in their
  subtle forms and entered them. By the
  combination of these elements, all other things
  were formed (ChU 6.2.3-4)

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The Cosmos (2)

• The phenomenal world, though seen as diverse, is
  at the same time the Brahman.
• Thus from Brahman it came and to it it will
  return (Mu?? 1.1.7 TU 3.1)

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Goal of Life

• Humans exist after death.
• In one passage is contained the wish that when
  one dies one becomes or experiences Brahman (ChU
  3.14)
• Other passages suggest that Brahman can be
  attained in this very life (B?U 4.4.6-7), which
  is not an attainment but a re-discovery of what
  one already is.

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Means of attaining the goal

• Hearing the Truth, reflecting on the Truth,
  meditating on the Truth (B?U 2.4.5)
• Another teaching synthesizes activity and
  meditation (??? U)

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Observations

• The Upani?ads recount a number of varied
  experiences and opinions of the teachers and
  seers.
• This diversity of experiences and opinions all
  point to the same object the Real.

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Major ThemesBráhman

• BRAHMAN The Absolute, the Real
• In the early Vedas, bráhman was a power which
  bears, sustains, and strengthens, animates or
  causes to increase.
• It is sacred power, sacred knowledge which was
  associated with the ritual, the priests, and the
  gods (??V), and with the magical incantation (AV)

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Brahman (2)

• The source of its later elevation to Supreme lay
  perhaps with its identification with the ritual.
• This may be the basis in the Upani?adic equation
  of the Brahman with the cosmos with the totality
  of creation
• The sacrifice or ritual and its site were also
  equated with the cosmos and the powers therein

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Brahman (3)

• Ritual Brahman
• Cosmos Brahman

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Brahman (4)

• The Brahman in the Upani?ads was an accepted
  fact.
• The purpose of the Upani?ads was not to prove
  Brahmans existence but to explain it.

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Explanations

• Via negativa neti neti
• That which is beyond time, space, causality
• Sat, cit, ?nanda

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Brahman Summary

• Brahman is the transcendent reality and the
  immanent reality it is transimmanent
• It is beyond the cosmos yet at the same time is
  associated with the cosmos as its inner reality)
• If associated with the cosmos, it is its creator,
  preserver, and destroyer
• It is sometimes seen as personal but it is
  usually impersonal (nirgu?a)

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?tman Self

• Etymologically linked to breath
• Also associated with the body, the trunk of the
  body, and duration of life
• It is part of the macrocosm as well as the
  microcosm, for an ?tman of the universe was
  postulated as well as an atman of the individual.

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?tman Self (2)

• The ?tman, therefore is not simply the inner
  reality of the individual, but it is also the
  all-pervading first principle of the universe (Ch
  5.11.1)

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?tman Self (3)

• ?tman is considered to be
• distinct from the sensory and bodily organs,
• distinct from the mind,
• that it is totally different from the body (being
  immaterial),
• that it exists in different states (waking,
  dream, dreamless, and later, the fourth state)

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?tman Self (4)

• That it lies encrusted and bound to the mind,
  senses, and gu?a-s (rajas, tamas, sattva) causing
  it to partake in the relative world (karman-,
  phala-, sa?s?ra-)
• Its true nature is the same as that of Brahman
  (or the fourth state in the M??? U)
• Transcendent and immanent to the universe, and
  yet is it bound to the cosmos.

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Karman-

• In the early Veda, karman- referred to ritual
  action and the desired result of that action.
• This was the central theme of much of the early
  Veda

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Karman- (2)

• Later, these Vedic texts were known as
  karma-k???a- the ?ruti which relates to karman-

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Karman- in the Upani?ads

• Karman- now viewed in negative terms because it
  no longer leads to the proper goal.
• The goal is now attained through knowledge
  (jñ?na-)
• That section of the Veda (the Upani?ads) that is
  related to knowledge is known as jñ?na- k???a-
  section (of the ?ruti-) related to knowledge

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Karman- in the Upani?ads (2)

• Karman- was to be avoided in the Upani?ads
• The new teaching about karman- appears in B?U
  3.2.13 and 4.4.5.
• Karman- now leads to rebirth and determines the
  quality of rebirth.

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Karman- and Desire

• B?U 4.4.5 An so people say A person here
  consists simply of desire (k?ma-). A man
  resolves in accordance with is desire, acts in
  accordance with his resolve (kratu-), and turns
  out to be in accordance with his action
  (karman-).